I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Emmy-loo
Summary: Percy Weasley is the epitome of a perfect citizen. But in a single moment of madness, he finds himself housing a fugitive Muggle-born during some of the most dangerous times in Wizarding history.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Neither are his various friends and enemies.**

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It is raining hard, the droplets coming down almost sideways and the thunder rolling loudly every few moments, when he hears someone at the door. At first he thinks it is just another thunderclap, but whoever it is, they're persistent, and the knocks continue much longer than the thunder does.

He gets up from his sad dinner of leftover takeout and tries not to scurry over to the door - always aware of appearances, even when alone in his own flat.

The knocking is getting more insistent, and he wonders vaguely who it could be at this hour, in this weather. His flat isn't convenient to any roads, and whenever he has visitors (admittedly very rarely) they come through the floo. But this person, whoever they are, had to have hiked up the hill, which most sane people go out of their way to avoid.

Finally making it to the entryway, he suddenly stops, wondering if it is such a good idea in the present political climate to open the door when he should probably be running the other direction. But something tells him that whoever it is, they are no Death Eater, or he probably would've been dead by now. Summoning some of the Gryffindor courage he was never really sure he had, he opens the door.

He wasn't expecting to find Penelope Clearwater.

He had seen her last more than two years ago, when she had broken it off with him, telling him that his ego was growing too quickly for her to handle. He'd been devastated at the time, and understandably a bit angry, but in hindsight he could see that she had been one hundred percent right. In the past few months, especially, the person that he had been - cocky, eager to please, and ambitious - was growing sharper in his mind's eye. It isn't a picture he is particularly proud of.

But here she is - the ex-girlfriend that he thinks he might still be the littlest bit in love with - standing sopping wet in the torrential downpour, her curly hair matted to her head and her eyes bright with desperation. Without stopping to think of the Ministry pamphlets from last year that detail what to do in emergency situations (because surely this isn't an emergency situation?), he pulls her into his impeccably clean flat, peers out into the tempest behind her for anyone watching, and closes the door behind her.

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AN: **Prologue **– 410 words

**Total **– 410 words

Well, I said in my profile that I wasn't going to post this for a while, but I really want to gauge interest. I'm going to write it anyway, but I really like this chapter for some reason, so it's going up much earlier than the rest of the story. Don't look for chapter two anytime particularly soon, because I want to get at 

least halfway through the story before I start posting the rest of it, otherwise I'll never finish. But here is the prologue to I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings!


	2. Things Unknown, but Longed for Still

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters or plot, I'm just borrowing it for a bit and I have no intent to make a profit off of this. Enjoy the chapter!

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It's only after Penny is inside and dripping onto his floor that Percy realizes that having her, with a wand, inside of his flat, could get him arrested. He finds that he doesn't particularly care.

There is an awkward moment where neither of them can think what to say (and she is still dripping onto his floor) before they both start to talk at the same time.

"I should just..." she stutters, her teeth chattering.

"Here, let me..." he rushes, before pausing.

They both stop, and the awkward moment is back again before Percy decides that she must be freezing cold - it is December, after all, and she has been out in the rain. Moving quickly, he turns to the closet where he keeps his towels neatly folded and hands one to her. She takes it thankfully and buries her face in it, and the break in eye contact eases up the ball in his throat.

"Why are you here, Penny?" are the words that come out, though he wasn't intending to say them at all. He'd meant to be reassuring, thoughtful and maybe the littlest bit suave, help her calm down before demanding answers. She's obviously distraught, coming to his flat like this in the middle of a thunderstorm with a look in her eyes that reminds him uncomfortably of a trapped animal.

Her face is out of the towel now, and she's used a Drying Charm to clean herself up, but she keeps glancing out of the corner of her eye as if she expects someone to jump out behind her.

She clears her throat scratchily before answering him in a whisper, "I have nowhere else to go."

He remembers again, with a start, that she is Muggleborn. It takes him another minute to put the pieces together; that she must've been on the run from the Ministry for months now, that she probably hadn't had a proper meal in ages, that she is an illegal fugitive from the law. Those thoughts fall into place very rapidly, and he is speaking again before he knows what he's saying.

"You should stay with me, then."

Penny's eyes nearly pop out of her head. At first he wonders if he should be offended at her surprise, but he decides against it when he watches her face begin to streak with tears. Alarmed, he makes his way toward her.

"Penny?" he ventures "Are you all right?"

By now she is sobbing. "Y-y-yes! But, are you s-sure?"

Putting his arm around her shoulder and revelling in even the simplest contact with her, he doesn't even pause before replying.

"Of course! Penny, I don't agree with what's going on right now. You have a home whenever you need one."

"B-but Perce, you d-don't understand. M-milo wouldn't take me, a-and Gemma wouldn't help me, a-and I'm going to get my wand taken away!"

Milo was one of her best friends during school, a studious Ravenclaw, though they began to drift apart after graduation. And Gemma had been a colleague and a close friend of Penny's the last he had heard of her. He shakes his head, though she can't see the movement.

"Listen Penny," he begins, turning so he can look her in the eye, "we've had our ups and downs, I won't deny that. You broke my heart in two the last time we spoke." Seeing her start to shake, his voice gets stronger, more intense, "But I will never, _never_ let anything happen to you. I can promise you that much."

She starts crying again, this time into his shoulder, and Percy wonders when he started loving her again. His shirt is soaked by the time he realizes that he probably never stopped.

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**AN: **

Chapter One-622 words

Total-1032 words

Ok, so I couldn't help myself. I'm nowhere near done yet, but I love this chapter, and I want to know how you guys feel about it. Please review! I was very excited by the response to the last one.


	3. A Caged Bird Stands on the Grave

Chapter Three: A Caged Bird Stands on the Grave of Dreams

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Thanks to A. Meril, who reminded me that I have to credit Maya Angelou as well - the title is hers, as are all chapter titles. **

Sorry for the delay, but this story is not my priority at the moment. I've gotten a much greater response to stories in a different fandom, so check those out if you're interested.

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It is an awkward night. His flat only had one bedroom, after all, and Penny is reluctant to take his bed. He defeats her, though, as he always had: with logic. Penny is more of a Ravenclaw than she knows.

"Penny," he says, by now exasperated, "you're cold, you're wet, and you look like you haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks, if not months. You are taking the bed."

He leaves no room for argument and she finally gives in, muttering a quick spell that changes her Muggle jeans and shirt into passable nightclothes. They stand and look at one another, both unsure of the next step. Penny clears her throat.

"I... thanks again, Percy. I don't know what I'd have done tonight, in this weather." Her voice is scratchy, and Percy wonders if she's getting ill. He vows to make her a Pepper-up Potion, though he was never particularly gifted in Potions in school.

"You know it's no problem, Penny," he says, lingering at the door frame. "Just... don't hesitate to wake me if you need anything, all right?"

She nods. "Good night, Percy," she says, soft enough so he can no longer hear the hoarseness of her voice.

"Night, Penny. I'll see you in the morning." He lingers for a moment before closing the door and making his way to the lonely couch. After a few quick expansion and cushioning charms, it's as good as any bed, though it won't last for more than a few hours.

He falls asleep wondering what in the world he has gotten himself into.

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He wakes abruptly, when the expansion charms on the couch suddenly fade. He stumbles to the ground and grumbles, groping for his wand and glasses on the side table. He is in the middle of a jawbreaking yawn when he hears the telltale crack that means someone has Apparated nearby. If it had been earlier in the night, he would have dismissed it as thunder, but now the night is still, with only the sound of the wind whispering in the trees. Percy freezes. It is barely - he glances at his watch - three in the morning, and all of his surrounding neighbors are most definitely Muggles.

His heart suddenly pounding, Percy grips his wand more tightly and creeps to his room, where Penny is sleeping. He manages to get halfway to the bed when Penny sits without warning and points her wand at him. Percy mutters a quiet Lumos, and Penny calms down, though her gaze is questioning.

He sits on the side of the bed, doing his best to ignore Penny's mussed hair and pyjamas.

"I think we have visitors, Penny," he whispers, just loud enough to be heard. "I heard someone Apparate outside."

Penny pales. She thinks for a second before she asks, "Do you think they know I'm here?"

Percy pauses. It's a moment before he answers, "You can never be too careful... I would suggest that you Apparate somewhere else, but I know you've never managed to do that quietly."

She has the grace to look embarrassed - the particular incident she is without a doubt remembering was particularly funny, but now is not the time.

Their minds are both whirring when Percy hears someone pounding a demanding beat on his door. Their eyes widen and Percy says, "Run!", but Penny is already up. He doesn't know where she'll go - his flat isn't exactly spacious - but there's not enough time to worry. He makes his way to his front door, letting his eyes droop as if he just woke up.

He opens the door to two men, one small and pudgy, with an upturned nose and watery eyes, the other bigger, but no more attractive. His teeth, which he is baring, are yellow, and his cheeks are sunken and hairy in patches.

"Gentlemen?" he asks, stifling a real yawn halfway through the word. "What can I help you with at," he glances at his watch again, "3:37 in the morning?"

"We've got word that you're 'arboring a fugitive, Weasley," the taller man drawls, eying the room behind Percy with what looks like dangerous levels of interest.

Percy's heart rate quickens, but he does his best not to show any outward signs of nervousness. The back of his neck turns mildly pink, but Percy hopes that it isn't visible in the dark.

"Is that so?" he asks. "Feel free to investigate - I hold no fugitives in my home."

Inwardly, he is praying and crossing his fingers that Penny had somehow managed to escape the flat - how, he isn't sure, but if anyone could think of a way, it would be Penny.

"Will do, Weasley," the tall man drawls. "Personally, I'm 'oping that we find 'er. Bloodtraitors are no better than Mudbloods in my book."

Percy clenches his teeth, but says nothing. Even the slightest provocation and these two men could arrest him, or worse. So he stands still in his entryway, waiting for them to leave.

They overturn furniture, the tall man being particularly violent in his efforts. When he rips the already-threadbare sofa, he gives a throaty chuckle, but says nothing. They are not using any magic - Percy knows that a simple "Homenum Revelio" would tell them that they are not alone in the flat, but it is a pretty obscure spell, and he hopes that they've never heard of it.

He doesn't know where Penny is hiding and waits for any sign that they've found her. His long fingers grip his wand behind his back, and his shoulders are tense, but after ten minutes or so, the men appear to be losing steam. The short man has all but given up searching altogether, only looking disinterestedly around the sitting room. The tall man is slowing down, through with turning over furniture in favor of looking in wardrobes and cabinets. Percy cannot help but be thankful for that small favor. Most of his furniture has been Reparo'd so many times he doubts the spell would do anything to fix it.

A few more moments pass, and the men seem to be finished. "So sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Weasley, but you understand."

He does not specify what, exactly, Percy is supposed to understand, but he doesn't question them. The sooner they leave, the sooner Penny is safe.

The tall man grumbles under his breath. Nonetheless, the short, pudgy man nods to him, and holds out his wand. The tall man follows, and within a few seconds they both Apparate out of the flat. Percy heaves a deep sigh of relief.

"Penny?" he calls out, after a few moments, "You can come out now."

He hears some clanging in the direction of the bathroom, so he heads that direction. He stops short in the doorway when he spots Penny climbing out of the old-fashioned vent above the toilet. Pushing aside for the moment any thoughts of confusion, all Percy thinks about is how uncomfortable that must have been.

Silently offering Penny a hand, he helps her get the rest of the way past the grate. She stands, and brushes the copious dust and cobwebs off of her frame, giving a small shudder. Percy remembers that Penny was none too fond of spiders. He had been laughing about Ron's fear of them one day, and she hadn't been entertained. Actually, she had looked quite terrified herself.

Shaking himself out of the stupor, Percy asks, "What made you think of the vent?"

"Stories my grandfather used to tell me," she says, without way of further explanation.

Percy looks questioningly at her, but she doesn't appear to be as adept at reading his gazes as she had once been. After a moment's awkward pause, he asks, "What kind of stories?"

She leads him back to the couch, seemingly forgetting the discomfort that had permeated the flat earlier in the evening. She was fast slipping into old routines.

"You know all about Grindlewald, so I don't need to explain that, but I need to ask - what do you know about what was happening in the Muggle world then?"

"There was a big war, wasn't there?" he asks, trying to call back his Muggle studies classes - though they weren't all that long ago, he is ashamed to discover that not much of the material remains in his memory.

"More than a big war," she says, looking grim. "The Muggles call it World War II. Nearly every major power in the world fought in it."

"But wasn't that caused by Grindlewald?" he asks.

"No," she answers, "that was all Muggles. Grindlewald just took advantage of the opportunity."

As fascinated as he is, Percy cannot help but wonder what this has to do with anything - hadn't he asked her about the vent?

But she continues, "But it was even more than a giant war," she says, her eyes focused on nothing in particular, as if remembering. "There was the Holocaust. Have you heard that word before?" she suddenly asks, turning her head toward him. He shakes his head no.

"The Holocaust," she says, taking a deep breath, "was a massacre. Hitler decided that Jewish people weren't humans, and so he sent them to the slaughter. It started off slow at first, but it got much, much worse."

By now Percy is struggling to follow, though extremely curious. How can he have never heard of this?

After a pause she says suddenly, "Six million people died. And these people weren't soldiers, or radicals, or anything. They were simply practicing the wrong religion at the wrong time."

Percy cannot wrap his head around this. Six million people is probably a larger population than the entirety of the wizarding world.

"And the vents?" he asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"People hid in them." she says, simply. "Because some people tried to escape the persecution. They hid in attics, in secret rooms, in basements, anywhere the Nazis wouldn't find them. My grandpa told me this story when I was little about how once he had to hide in a vent in a bathroom because the family that was hiding him had unexpected visitors."

"Wow," he says, unable to think of anything more eloquent.

They sit in silence for a few moments, Percy's head spinning. A minute may have passed, maybe an hour, before Percy asks, "So. How are we hiding you?"


End file.
